Leslie,
I have a notebook too. It's got any information that I have found useful as well as my own experiences with my trees. I also just started a blog to keep track of the things I do without pestering a whole forum with minute details. it's fun.
I painted those leaves using the eye dropper in paint. I used colors of the existing leaves on your tree.Notice that I didn't add any branches..just leaves.

Lance,
Awh...thanks! Is your blog public or private?...or is all blogs public? lol I've come a long way on the computer yet, there are times I can be a wee bit of a *techie moron*. :blink: Anyway, if it is public would you mind sharing it?

I'm sorry you feel so isolated in the Bonsai world. I felt that way for a few weeks until I found a contact. Why not try putting an add in the local news paper asking if anyone in your area is practicing the art Bonsai and would they be interested in meeting to share experiences and such. Who knows...you might even end up starting your own Bonsai Club!

It's unfortunate your local nursery people are so unpleasant...it's a wonder they're still in business! :ohmy: I enjoy your *ramblings*...probably because I tend do the same. For me this forum is a social connection as much as it is a learning resource.

I will take some different angle photos of my Ficus with better lighting and get them posted here as soon as I can. I want to name my little tree however, I wondering...how do I know if my tree is male or female??? Egads!...I hope that doesn't open up a can of worms! :S

Leslie

Leslie wrote: Hi All,

I emailed Joan from the Bonsai club, from whom I purchased the Ficus, to get a little more background information on the tree. Jelle...you are right...it is the Ficus Benjamina! Good going! Also I found out that it wasn't defoliated as she had initially said...it suffered from heat exposure outside and dropped all of it's leaves. It kind of *irks* me that she wasn't honest about that in the first place...:dry: ...however, it seems to be recovering alright. Any thoughts or insights on that point is appreciated.

Leslie

Hi Leslie,
Don't be to harsh on her. Ficus are VERY sensitive when it comes tyo changing conditions. We tyically loose anything from 20 - 90% of the leaves on out ficus benjamina (Which is roughly 7 feet tall, and 3 feet wide) when we bring it out in spring, and the same again in fall when it goes in. This plant can be found along riverbeds and in tropical dry/wet systems. As a protection against sudden changing weather patters it sheds it's leaves very easily. But when conditions are good, it regrows them just as easy.

KLance: PLease do share your blog..

I like the idea for a windswept tree too. I hear that ficus also lends itself well for banyan style trees. Seeing your ficus benjamina makes me consider my ficus elastica. I have one in my office (From a cutof branch I found on the street in Rome, carried it with me over the weeks holiday we had in Italy a few years back, and planted it at home!). It sits behind a south-facing window in my office, and throws up 3-5 feet of material every year. So.. maybe I should cut it down to the 3 inch diameter trunk and grow it banyan style, using a cutting for the office again.

Well Leslie, from what I remember from my freshman biology class, you have to know the difference between staminate flowers, which are male, and pistillate flowers, which are female. Of course, telling the difference between these is different for every tree. Beyond that, I don't think I can help you. I try to pick gender-neutral names for my trees. My japanese black pine, for instance, is named Phil, which can be short for Philip, a boy's name, or Philomena, a girl's. Sorry I can't be of more help.

well as you already know its a benjamina i can tell by the long tips on the leaves.very nice starter by the way. you may want to get a clip on light w/ a cfl bulb for her, having a light to the side will make it grow that way.
i just base the trees gender by their style.yours looks like it has female tendecies,smooth bark soft lines flowing movement nothing jagged rough or sharp

Hi All,

Well...I attended my first get-together this evening with the Bonsai Club I joined up with on Friday...what fun!!! They are a relatively small group of about 15 people and during July & August they meet every Tuesday evening with a different member hosting each week's gathering in their back garden. Auhhh...this little back yard was like a beautiful, tropical sanctuary complete with a trickling water feature!

I took my little Ficus with me and learned that it is the *Ficus (Too Little) Benjamina*. My suspicions over the weekend were confirmed...my baby has *bugs* :ohmy: yep... and the little critters are of the *scale* variety. I will post pictures of them and recommendations I received in the "Pests & Diseases" section of the forum in the next day or two.

I also learned that the majority of the bare branches (see first post with photos) were in fact dead so I was shown how to clip them off. It was suggested that I repot my Ficus into a bigger training pot so it can develop a stronger trunk base and nebari and for training purposes...I definitely agree!

All in all, I had a great time and lots of fun. I'm really looking forward to next Tuesday's meeting! Oh, and I luv manofthetrees' description of my Ficus so I've decided to name her...drum roll please... *Jamina*. Awwwwhhhh.........

Thanks for listening to my ramblings,
Leslie

Getting rid of the bugs: Make a mixture of wat, to which some liquid soap is added & add a shot of spiritus (Rubbing/cleaning alcohol). You can either use a cottonstick (is that what you'd call them ?) to soak each animal individual if there are just a few, oR spray the plant till dripping wet. Just try to not get too much in the soil (e.g. by sort of laying the tree down for this excersize.

No direct sunlight for a few days. i always hose plants down an hour or two afterwards.
Repeat once or twice in the weeks after the first treatment, to also get the young.

Hi J,

Thank you for the advice. I have a spray bottle mixture already made up (for a different purpose) of water and rubbing alcohol mixed at a 1:1 ratio. Is that too strong a mixture?

Leslie

I normally don't make it that strong; But well.. You can always try; If the tree dies you have reason to go shopping. But I would try on the schefflera

Joking aside: Think it is too strong, but do not know what happens when you use stronger spiritus on the plant

Hahahahahaahha.....Oh J, quit picking on my baby Schefflera!!! She's feeling your negative vibes and it's making her sad! LOL! I have to admit, I do like your rather warped sense of humour!

So what ratio of water/alcohol would you recommend? And then what...about 3-5 drops of liquid soap?

L